Screening party members: The important thing is... who is screening, who is screening?

The Secretariat has just issued a Directive on improving the quality of Party membership admission and reviewing and screening to remove those who are no longer qualified to be Party members from the Party (referred to as the Directive on screening Party members).

After being published in the press, this information attracted deep attention and interest from public opinion.

People have long awaited

The issue of party member quality has been raised for a long time, since the Party was first established. Because party member quality has always been the leading factor that creates strength and determines the survival of the Party.

Remember, when the August Revolution took place, the Party only had about 5,000 members, in 1960 there were 500,000 members, at the end of the resistance war against America to save the country there were about 1.5 million members.

Party members at that time deserved to be "revolutionary soldiers in the vanguard of the working class, working people and Vietnamese nation" (Article 1, Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam).

Entering the 21st century, the number of party members increased sharply. In 2006, there were more than 3.1 million; in 2015, there were more than 4.5 million; in 2017, there were more than 4.9 million. But this was also the period with the largest number of party members being "screened". From 2011 to 2017, the Party screened and removed from the Party by deleting the names of 50,938 party members, of which 12,499 were disciplined and expelled from the Party.

The directive to screen party members is something the people have long awaited. Illustration photo: Le Anh Dung

One of the reasons why the number of party members has increased rapidly but the quality has not been guaranteed is because "the work of admitting party members and reviewing and screening party members in the past has not met the requirements, there are signs of chasing after quantity, not paying due attention to quality. The admission of unqualified people, people with improper motives into the Party still happens in many places...".

Why does this situation occur? In addition to the laxity in the criteria for Party admission, the pursuit of quantity is the leading cause of the increase in the number of Party members but the decrease in quality.

The above-mentioned shortcomings were reflected in the resolutions by Party committees at all levels, which set targets for Party admission, a manifestation of the disease of achievement. Therefore, Party committees at all levels find every way to "strive" and "roll out the red carpet" to invite the masses to join the Party for the noble title of "clean and strong Party base". The quality of Party members is therefore underestimated.

In 1969, on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the Party's founding, in the work "Improving revolutionary morality, wiping out individualism", President Ho Chi Minh emphasized that, besides good comrades, there were a few cadres and party members whose morality and qualities were still low.

He pointed out: "They (party members with low morals and qualities) are heavily individualistic, always thinking of their own interests first in everything"; and listed the shortcomings that this type of party member has.

What Uncle Ho said 50 years ago seems like just yesterday.

Although the number of party members today is many times greater than that of the party members during the war of national liberation, when the country's socio-economic situation faced numerous difficulties, it cannot be said that the quality is better. Now, it is not a "few" cadres and party members with low morals and qualities like when Uncle Ho was alive, but has swelled into a "not small part", threatening the survival of the country.

In that context, the campaign to “burn the furnace of corruption” initiated by the General Secretary and President has received strong public support and sympathy. In just a short time, more than 60 officials under the Central Government’s management have been disciplined for very serious violations, including those who were members of the Politburo, members of the Central Committee, Ministers, Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries of provinces and cities, etc.

But no matter how hot it is, the “corrupt furnace” cannot burn forever. A correct policy is needed to stop corruption from its roots, and to eliminate from the beginning those party members who are low in ethics, qualities and working capacity. And the Directive on screening party members is what the people have long awaited, as a tool to rectify the Party.

Who is screening? Screening who?

The remaining problem is “who is screening” - the organizer of the implementation and “who is screening” - the screened subjects? These are extremely important issues. If not properly addressed, the screening will fall into a situation of shouting elephants and shooting bamboo cannons, and it is very possible that good party members and party members fighting against corruption will become the first subjects to be “screened”.

The above concerns are not without basis when the recruitment and appointment mechanism for cadres is still rife with the situation of "unwritten rules: 5 "xe", 4 "e", 5 "de" (5 "xe" are "Children and Grandchildren of the Elders; 4 "e" are First descendants, second money, third relationships, four disciples; 5 "de" is "Nowhere to Go").

How will the screening be done if many party members holding party and government positions at the agency are wives, children, younger siblings, and relatives of bosses and superiors?

How will the screening be done if the Party organization and government there are dominated by interest groups?

However, screening out weak, degraded, and corrupt party members is not impossible if the Party is determined and knows how to rely on the people.

In the war of liberation and the war of national defense, the Party knew how to rely on the people. The Party was among the people, and the people protected the Party, creating boundless strength that could defeat any enemy.

In the process of innovation, construction and nation building, the Party has also aroused and combined the people's strength - an extremely great potential - to gradually bring the country out of poverty and backwardness, develop the economy, stabilize society with great achievements.

Therefore, rectifying the Party organization and screening Party members is not just an internal task of the Party. The people have thousands of eyes and ears, are tolerant but never cover up for evil.

If party members and cadres are given the authority and responsibility to implement and sincerely "screen" with the help of the people, the Central Party Member Screening Directive will certainly be successful in practice.